When a new lead breaks in the cold case that has long haunted Swedish Detective Inspector Embla Nyström, the truth she’s been seeking about her best friend’s disappearance may finally be revealed—if it doesn’t kill her first. One winter night, 28-year-old Detective Inspector Embla Nyström receives a phone call that sends her reeling. It’s been fourteen years since her best friend disappeared from … friend disappeared from a nightclub in Gothenburg, but Embla recognizes her voice before the call abruptly disconnects. Embla is thrilled to learn Lollo is still alive, but before she can dive into the case, she gets another phone call—this time from a relative. A man has been found shot dead in one of the guest houses he and his wife manage in rural Sweden. Could she come take a look?
When Embla arrives on the scene, she receives another shock. The dead man is Milo Stavic, a well-known gang member and one of the last people seen with Lollo. And, as Embla soon learns, the same night that Milo was shot in the guest house, his brother Luca was also killed. Why, after all these years, is someone targeting the Stavic brothers, and where is the third brother? With help from a handsome local detective and his police dog in training, Embla launches an investigation into the three Stavic brothers, hoping it will bring her closer to finally finding Lollo and putting an end to her terrible nightmares.
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“Snowdrift” immediately pulls readers into the story as a shadowy figure zips his leather jacket and adjusts his night-vision glasses. Then, through the cold and the muck, the menacing shadow approaches; the girl screams, “I’m coming, Lollo!” And, Embla wakes from her recurring nightmare. From there, things just get more complicated.
Embla Nyström is part of the Västra Götaland County Bureau of Investigation’s Mobile Unit, known as VGM, and the story unfolds mostly from her point of view. A relative owns a country resort, and a guest has been shot, and Embla takes a “vacation trip” to help with the investigation. Of course that is not the only murder, and seemingly separate crimes suddenly become very complex and intricately intertwined.
The plot advances through conversations between characters, allowing readers to discover what some know but others do not. The Investigation proceeds in a careful manner, but things do not always go as smoothly as people think they should. Interesting relationships between characters are exposed, and there is no accounting for what some people will do. There are family entanglements, conflicting reports, and shocking revelations from the past.
“Snowdrift” has plenty of action and the narrative is full of fresh questions that keep readers turning the pages. This is book three the “Embla Nyström Investigations” series, but new readers can easily follow along; each character is briefly introduced, and previous relationships are seamlessly folded into the present storyline. I received a review copy of “Snowdrift” from Helene Tursten Random House Publishing, and Soho Crime. The book proceeds in a careful, systematic way with a slow accumulation of facts, and then unexpectedly takes readers somewhere else
This book is translated from Swedish and is third in the series about inspector Embla Nystrom. Unfortunately, I haven’t read the previous stories but this book can be read as a standalone. The background history is given where necessary.
Embla who works as a police detective in Gothenburg is taking her spring break with her uncle and the 9-year-old son of her ex in her uncle’s cabin in Dalsland in a remote part of South Sweden. There she receives a phone call from a remote cousin who owns a bungalow park. One of his guests is found shot through the head in his bed. She’s surprised when she recognises the victim as Milo Stavic, a notorious Gothenburg crime boss who was also involved in the disappearance of her friend Lollo, 14 years earlier when they were teenagers. It doesn’t take long to discover that one of Milo’s brothers is shot in a car park the same day and that the other brother has vanished in Croatia 2 weeks earlier. Around the time of Milo’s murder, there was a stabbing at a party of a bandy team (sort of ice-hockey) a few kilometres down the road. Embla strikes up a friendship with Olle, the local policeman who investigates this crime. Strangely enough, none of the victim’s friends seems to be willing to talk to the police about the stabbing.
I’ve read the whole ‘Erlendur’-series by now and think that I’ve found a new Scandinavian favourite. Embla is certainly a more engaging character. She is a real bad-ass cop; tough, strong and clever but with a great heart. She still has a great relationship with the son of her ex-partner. She’s also helpful, she rushes to this cousin’s bungalow park even though she’s on vacation and helps Olle out with his case. I hope he’s a stayer because he found the way to my heart and I’m a fan of his brave police-dog-in training as well.
Embla is also an avid hunter and hunting is an everyday part of the life of many remotely living people in Sweden and other countries. I’m not a fan of hunting but through lack of big predators certain cute animals can become pests. Hunting for food is also something else than for sports. Of course, if we all go out hunting for food, nature will be void of animals very quickly. I find this a difficult moral dilemma because the wild animals certainly have a far better life than those we breed for food. I’ve tried being a vegetarian for a few years but in the end, I did miss eating certain dishes and I caved. Embla eats some mouth-watering recipes in her cousin’s restaurant as well. I got hungry while I read this.
A special mention is about the weather that plays a role of its own in this story.
I received a free ARC from Netgalley and SOHO Press and this is my honest review of it.